The present application relates to a capacitor, and in particular to a capacitor configured to transfer heat in a radial and axial direction.
Electrical and electronic applications use capacitors in many circuits for power, control and conversion. Frequently, these capacitors have a large energy storage capacity and voltage. One type of capacitor, the film capacitor, has been used in many applications such as electric power generation, conversion, and aircraft avionics.
A film capacitor has two or more layers of a dielectric material. The dielectric material is metallized by depositing metal using vacuum deposition or spray to make the material electrically conductive. The two layers are then rolled and compacted. The ends of the roll are sprayed with a metal to make the ends electrically conductive. These rolls are then placed in a housing which may be sealed with an epoxy resin.
Film capacitors may be sensitive to elevated temperatures that adversely impact the capacitors performance. As result, the film capacitor may be the temperature limiting components when used in aircraft avionics or similar applications. The location of the film capacitor within the epoxy resin may further adversely affect the ability of the film capacitor to eliminate excess heat. As the electrical power capacity increases, there is an increased need to remove excess heat from the film capacitor.
Accordingly, while existing capacitors are suitable for their intended purpose the need for improvement remains, particularly in a capacitor with an increased thermal conductivity.